


A Present

by invitemetoyourmemories



Category: Lymond Chronicles - Dorothy Dunnett
Genre: Gen, definitely fluff, francis and christian deserve some fluff., if you just want them to be besties that is also ok, maybe francis/christian if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 05:10:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11051988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invitemetoyourmemories/pseuds/invitemetoyourmemories
Summary: Pre-GoK, Francis Crawford asks Christian Stewart to help him pick out a present for Richard.





	A Present

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sixappleseeds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixappleseeds/gifts).



“Come help me pick a present for Richard,” he’d said. “It’ll be fun,” he said.

She really should have known better. No one had ever accused Francis Crawford of being sensible.

Christian had assumed - hoped - that when Francis had followed his invitation with “Shall we go for a walk?”, they would merely talk about what, exactly, Richard might like for his birthday. Instead, Francis had grabbed her hand and gone on a headlong dash into the woods, laughing breathlessly all the while. For an instant, she’d worried about a repeat of his stunt with the bees - and then he’d said “wait here a moment” and silently vanished.

She took a step, then jerked backwards when her outstretched hand brushed against a thorn. Christian wondered briefly if Francis had even considered buying a gift from a shop like a normal person, or if arbitrary excursions were how he got presents for everyone. It would certainly explain why he kept promising “Next year, I’ll get you a badger.”

“I’m back,” Francis said. He was making cooing noises - or, no, he was _carrying_ something cooing. “I’m pretty sure one of them is _the_ one,” he said. “But I can’t decide which. Help me choose. Here -” he took her wrist gently in one hand - “feel -”

Christian cast a dour look in his direction. “Is this a pigeon?”

“Yes.”

“You’re getting Richard a pigeon.”

“Yes.” He said it with absolute certainty. “I’m just not sure which one is most singularly Richard.” Christian thought it likely that there were precisely zero pigeons that were singularly Richard. “It seems improbable that he’d like one, yes, but these are - unusual. Look -” he guided her hand again - “- its tail is--”

“It’s like a fan,” Christian said, amazed. She brushed her fingers against the peacock’s head again. The rest of the pigeon was decidedly typical, but its tail fanned out perpendicular to its body, “You’ve found a peacock pigeon.”

“And this one,” Francis said, pulling the first pigeon away and replacing it with another, “is the other. Quite different.”

“It’s wearing a coat.” Christian couldn’t stop herself from grinning. “It’s wearing a high-collared feathered coat!” The ruff extended up to the height of the bird’s head; no pigeon had ever been so magnificently well-dressed. “This one. This one is best.”

“A nonpareil Richard-pigeon,” Francis agreed. “The one in the high-collared coat it is.” He paused. “Do you think he’ll like it?”

“He’ll hate it,” Christian said pleasantly, “and then he’ll love it.”

“Then truly, this is a pigeon unsurpassed in its quality of Richard,” Francis said. “It will be perfect.”

## Epilogue:

“Francis,” said Christian as they were walking back - Francis with the coat-wearing pigeon tucked under one arm - “Where did you find such peculiar pigeons?”

“There was a ship docked at port,” said Francis, “with all manner of exotic animals, and it’s possible that one of the pigeon cages’ doors might have come loose.”

“You stole pigeons,” Christian said with a laugh.

Francis gasped in mock affront. “I opened a door. The pigeons seized a chance at freedom. We were wholly independent actors.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“It’s true,” Francis said. “I urge you: under no circumstances should you ever encourage me.” Christian smiled at him. “Certainly not like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> The pigeons are fantail pigeons and Jacobin pigeons. Both varieties existed in the 1500s, although in somewhat different forms from the modern ones. ...yes, I researched fancy pigeon breeds for this


End file.
